more than music

Worship is what we were created for. This is the final end of all existence - the worship of God. God created the universe so that it would display the worth of His glory. And He created us so that we would see this glory and reflect it by knowing and loving it - with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.  The church needs to build a common vision of what worship is and what she is gathering to do on Sunday morning and scattering to do on Monday morning. 

                                        John Piper      

Worship is the sign that in giving myself completely to someone or something, I want to be mastered by it.

Harold Best

 IT IS A WAY OF LIFE

de-lish.

Thanksgiving was a success.

I burnt the stuffing

     Completely cooked the yams backwards

          Sprayed turkey juice all over

But, in the end, everything turned out perfectly.

Actually, I should say exceptional.

I even had room for pumpkin pie!

..... and then another helping of the meal after my second pie slice. shhhhh - don't tell.

P.S. Those recipes I followed were great:  Mr. Turkey turned out plump & juicy and the stuffing was the best I have ever tasted. Ummm.... let's minus the rolls; they weren't such a hit. Better luck next year.

gobble gobble

I can hardly wait to gobble down all the glorious flavors of Thanksgiving this Thursday! Not to mention, enjoying the wonderful company of family.

This yeah I am hosting TG at my house... which lands the responsibility of the turkey.... on ME.

dun dun dun

I've asked around & researched and decided I will be using this site for my basic guide for the bird.

As for the stuffing... I stumbled upon a recipe that sounds amazing

I'll also be dishing up some marshmallow yams (just like momma makes 'em) and possibly some homemade dinner rolls - maybe these

My [absolutely lovely] sister-in-law and her mother are in charge of the swiss medley, baked macaroni, and perfect mashed potatoes; along with apple and pumpkin pie.

YUM.

I'm hungry already.

tempted

After Jesus is baptized by John at the Jordan River, he is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. At the end of forty days of praying and fasting, the Messiah was then tempted by the Enemy.

There are three temptations that we read which he offered to Jesus: turning the stones to bread [lust of the flesh], his (Satan's) authority over the world [lust of the eyes], and defying God's will [pride of life]. In response to each, Jesus quotes scripture; and the Enemy departs.

[Though I am by no means proud to say this...] I've often regarded this passage as fallacious; 

of course He resisted and was victorious -- He's GOD.

How on earth am I supposed to relate to that?

On Sunday, October 31st. that all changed. A floodgate of light was opened that gave me complete understanding. And it was so simple.

In order for temptation to be a temptation it has to be a temptation

Pastor Eric gave a simple analogy: at the grocery store, he has...

never been tempted to over indulge on asparagus.... but it is temptation to walk down the icecream aisle... indulge, be a glutton. 

Because [Christ] was human there was an aspect of these temptations that looked good to him, where it got his attention.    

Wow. Why didn't anyone ever just tell that to me before?

Now I can truly agree that Christ is not only a "model to follow.... [but] a Savior to rely upon."

Yes, He was 100% deity... but [and O! what a glorious mystery it is] 100% human.

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid to those who are tempted.                         Hebrews 2:17-18 4:14-16

I shouldn't undermine the Word of God. 

To listen to the message for yourself, click HERE.  Search for October 31, 2010; the passage is Luke 3:21-4:15

Resist the devil and he will flee from you

just us

Tonight we shared a candle-lit dinner together.

We listened to music, danced, snuggled, and exchanged some kisses...

I got help with the laundry and gave a lotioned massage.

What a wonderful night...

                                       with just me.....
                                                                     and Acacia.

100% selfish

Last week I was overwhelmed with pity for Acacia.

Because I am her mother. 

I am selfish. I am impatient. I am easily angered. I am a bad example.

I was so frustrated that I had been entrusted with a baby; a soul to raise.

Me. 

Sinful, selfish Arianna.

The unfairness of it was haunting me....

An innocent baby has to suffer because of my -many- imperfections.

All of a sudden 'parenthood' became in my mind this sick cycle that only resulted in ruin for every child.

Then someone spoke to me. Without even knowing what thoughts had been running around back & forth, waring inside me. And it made sense, shedding a far brighter light on being a parent.

The primary reason for difficulties between child and parent is selfishness on both sides.

When I lose my patience, it is because thing aren't going my way.

My sleep is being interrupted

My time & energy is being "wasted"

I don't want to play|read|wait anymore 

Acacia is a baby; all she knows is selfishness. It's how she gets her wants and needs.
And let's face it: not much is going to change there for another 17+ years...

So parenthood can be like tug-o-war... two sides, selfish, fighting against each other.

But I hate that game. And I'm not going to play it... so something has gotta give.

I must sacrifice to meet her needs. Her very-100% selfish needs.

God has given me Acacia to not only raise her with a good example, but to refine me; to burn away my selfishness, my sinfulness.

Parenthood is not a downward spiral of failures causing more failures....

it is the road to true love.

The truest display of love is sacrifice. 

And with this surety and hope I have already become a better mother. 

what matters

It doesn't matter if he...

gets into the shower from the wrong side

can't keep his closet organized by color, let alone style

doesn't care when his socks get twisted on his feet

can't keep a hat on for the day

hates peanut butter

doesn't shave his face every day

hasn't read Harry Potter

rips the sheets out from under the bed every night

What matters is that we love each other....

even if I...

organize my closet by color and style

go crazy when I see High School Musical

can't walk in high heels

only shave my legs once or twice a week

have no idea how to fix my hair 

hate Chipotle 

couldn't care less about football